Theta Sigma Upsilon
ΘΣΥ
FoundedMarch 25, 1921; 103 years ago (March 25, 1921)
Emporia State University, (Emporia, Kansas)
TypeSocial
AffiliationNPC (former) and PFA (former)
ScopeNational
Motto"The Higher Good" (open)
Colors  Rose   Silver
SymbolHelmet, Shield, Spear, Torch
FlowerPink Rose
TreePine
JewelPearls and Turquoises
Patron Roman divinityMinerva
PublicationThe Torch
PhilanthropyAssociation of Cleft Palate Rehabilitation.
Chapters23
Members4,912 (1957) collegiate
TreeDogwood
Merged withAlpha Gamma Delta (1959)
Headquarters65 Wandle Avenue
Bedford, Ohio
[1]

Theta Sigma Upsilon (ΘΣΥ) was a sorority founded on March 25, 1921 at Emporia State University. It merged with Alpha Gamma Delta at the 22nd international convention of Alpha Gamma Delta at French Lick, Indiana on June 29, 1959.

History

Theta Sigma Upsilon was founded on March 25, 1921 at Emporia State University.[2] In 1925, the sorority became part of the Association of Education Sororities which it remained a member until the association dissolved when its members became part of the National Panhellenic Conference.[1][3]

Alpha Gamma Delta absorbed Theta Sigma Upsilon at the 22nd international convention of Alpha Gamma Delta at French Lick, Indiana on June 29, 1959.[4] Thirteen chapters were added to Alpha Gamma Delta from this merger, with these names as their new ΑΓΔ chapter designations:[5]

Symbols

Their colors are Rose and Silver, their flower is the Pink Rose and their tree is the dogwood. Its Patron was Minerva.[6]

Chapters

At the time of the 1959 merger, this was the list of Theta Sigma Upsilon chapters. Active chapters at the time of the merger with ΑΓΔ are noted in bold, inactive or withdrawn chapters are noted in italics:[6][3]

Chapter Installed Date and Range University City and state Status Reference
Alpha March 25, 1921–1943, re-established 1947–1951 Emporia State University Emporia, Kansas Inactive [7]
Beta 1923–1942 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, Michigan Inactive [8]
Gamma 1924–June 29, 1959 Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Merged [9]
Delta 1924–1933 Miami University Oxford, Ohio Inactive [10]
Epsilon 1924–June 29, 1959 Pittsburg State University Pittsburg, Kansas Merged [11]
Zeta 1926–1931 Marshall University Huntington, West Virginia Inactive [12]
Eta 1926–1947 Kent State University Kent, Ohio Withdrew (to ΓΦΒ) [13]
Theta 1927–1954 University at Buffalo (SUNY) Buffalo, New York Inactive [14]
Iota 1928–June 29, 1959 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, Colorado Merged [15]
Kappa 1928–June 29, 1959 Northwestern State University Natchitoches, Louisiana Merged [16]
Lambda 1928–1931 Ohio University Athens, Ohio Withdrew (to ΘΥ) [17]
Mu 1928–June 29, 1959 Fort Hays State University Hays, Kansas Merged [18]
Nu 1928–June 29, 1959 University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, Missouri Merged [19]
Xi 1929–1933 Western Colorado University Gunnison, Colorado Inactive [20]
Omicron 1931–June 29, 1959 California State University, Chico Chico, California Merged [21]
Pi 1935–June 29, 1959 Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, Pennsylvania Merged [22]
Rho 1936–June 29, 1959 University of Wisconsin–Whitewater Whitewater, Wisconsin Merged [23]
Sigma 1937–1954 Harris–Stowe State University St. Louis, Missouri Inactive [24]
Tau 1939–June 29, 1959 Longwood University Farmville, Virginia Merged [25]
Upsilon 1941–June 29, 1959 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, Michigan Merged [26]
Phi 1942–June 29, 1959 James Madison University Harrisonburg, Virginia Merged [27]
Chi 1944–1953 Drexel University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Inactive [28]
Psi 1952–June 29, 1959 PennWest Edinboro Edinboro, Pennsylvania Merged [29]

References

  1. ^ a b William Raimond Baird (1957). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. G. Banta Company. pp. 500–501.
  2. ^ Northwestern State University 1959 Potpourri Yearbook 1959 p116
  3. ^ a b William Raimond Baird; Carroll Lurding (eds.). "Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities (Baird's Manual Online Archive), section showing Theta Sigma Upsilon chapters". Student Life and Culture Archives. University of Illinois: University of Illinois Archives. Retrieved 29 Apr 2021. The main archive URL is The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.
  4. ^ St. Petersburg Times June 22, 1959 p14
  5. ^ "Alpha Gamma Delta and Theta Sigma Upsilon: Celebrating 50 Years". Alpha Gamma Quarterly. Vol. C, no. 3. Summer 2009.
  6. ^ a b William Raimond Baird (1977). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. G. Banta Company. p. 811.
  7. ^ The Alpha chapter had originally been formed as the Sigma Society (local) dating to 1909 but Baird's 20th ed. records that it "changed its name to Theta Sigma Upsilon when it entered the national field," apparently in 1921.
  8. ^ The Beta chapter had originally been formed as the Treble Clef Club (local) dating to 1908.
  9. ^ Now the Alpha Rho chapter of ΑΓΔ, this had been ΘΣΥ's Gamma chapter, dating to 1924, and originally the Alpha Epsilon Club (local), a group that formed prior to 1924.
  10. ^ The Delta chapter had originally been formed as Sigma Tau Delta (local) dating to 1922.
  11. ^ Now the Epsilon Kappa chapter of ΑΓΔ, this had been ΘΣΥ's Epsilon chapter, dating to 1924. It was originally formed from Theta Sigma (local) which may have been a "local" formed specifically to colonize as ΘΣΥ. (That name was used in several locations, always short-lived.) This Theta Sigma chapter was dated from 1923.
  12. ^ The Zeta chapter was created as a colony. In 1931 it left ΘΣΥ to form Delta Xi Delta (local).
  13. ^ The Eta chapter had originally formed as Beta Theta (local) in 1924, joining ΘΣΥ in 1926. In 1947 it left ΘΣΥ to briefly form Theta Sigma Tau (local), then went on to become the Beta Zeta chapter of Gamma Phi Beta.
  14. ^ The Zeta chapter had originally formed as Nu Lambda Sigma (local) in 1924.
  15. ^ Now the Epsilon Iota chapter of ΑΓΔ, this had been ΘΣΥ's Iota chapter, dating to 1928. However, this chapter can trace its origin back to "the close of the winter quarter in 1922" and the "Order of the Eastern Star Club". That club formed a local sorority called "Aleph Lamedh Tav" in the fall of 1923. In turn, four years later, in the "spring of 1927", Aleph Lamedh Tav adopted a Greek letter name, becoming a local sorority named "Alpha Tau Lambda" (Note, ΑΤΛ's first appearance in the Northern Colorado yearbook was in 1928, but the group's name had a typo that year. The "Tau" and the "Lambda" were reversed. This typo was corrected in subsequent yearbooks). Alpha Tau Lambda lasted until 1937, when many members of the sorority joined Theta Sigma Upsilon, including at least one patroness, or advisor. Hence, it is reasonable to state Theta Sigma Upsilon is a direct successor of the local group: Alpha Tau Lambda, as a local competing on a campus of larger national sororities was in relatively weak state. It appears that the chapter thrived after joining Theta Sigma Upsilon. There may have been discontent with this, as not all the girls joined, but this may simply be a factor of the weak economy at the end of the Great Depression. Those girls who didn't join ΘΣΥ do not show up in 1938 or later yearbooks as students or members of other clubs. Information from 1923-1938 yearbooks.
  16. ^ Now the Gamma Kappa chapter of ΑΓΔ, this had been ΘΣΥ's Kappa chapter, dating to 1928, and originally Beta Phi Zeta (local), a group that dated from 1927.
  17. ^ The Lambda chapter was created from Sigma Upsilon (local), a group that dated from 1927. It left ΘΣΥ in 1931 to become Delta Kappa (local?), merging into small national Lambda Omega, possibly with a pre-existing Delta chapter there, which in turn merged with Theta Upsilon in September 1933. It was dormant between 1940–1946, re-established, and then went dormant again in 1952. Theta Upsilon would itself merge nationally with Delta Zeta in 1962.
  18. ^ Now the Epsilon Mu chapter of ΑΓΔ, this had been ΘΣΥ's Mu chapter, dating to 1928. Its origin was in 1921 as the Eastern Star Club (local) which became the Beta chapter of small Omega Epsilon Sigma (a now-dormant 5-chapter sorority with Eastern Star affiliation), in 1925. In approximately 1927 it briefly became a local group again, named Zeta Sigma Phi, prior to joining Theta Sigma Upsilon in 1928.
  19. ^ Now the Epsilon Lambda chapter of ΑΓΔ, this had been ΘΣΥ's Nu chapter, dating to 1928, and originally the Alpha chapter of small Omega Epsilon Sigma (a 5-chapter sorority with Eastern Star affiliation), a group that dated from a 1925 consolidation of several Eastern Star affiliated groups. Prior to merging with ΘΣΥ it briefly became Omega Sigma (local).
  20. ^ The Xi chapter originated as a colony in 1928, closing five years later. Fraternities and sororities no longer exist on the Western Colorado campus.
  21. ^ Now the Delta Iota chapter of ΑΓΔ, this had been ΘΣΥ's Omicron chapter since 1931, and originally Delta Sigma (local) dated from 1924.
  22. ^ Now the Alpha Sigma chapter of ΑΓΔ, this had been ΘΣΥ's Pi chapter, dating to 1935, and originally Theta Sigma, which may have been a "local" formed specifically to colonize as ΘΣΥ. (That name was used in several locations, always short-lived.) This particular Theta Sigma (local) chapter dated from a few months earlier, also in 1935.
  23. ^ Now the Beta Theta chapter of ΑΓΔ, this had been ΘΣΥ's Rho chapter, dating to 1936, and originally Theta Sigma, which may have been a "local" formed specifically to colonize as ΘΣΥ. (That name was used in several locations, always short-lived.) This Theta Sigma chapter dated from 1935.
  24. ^ The Sigma chapter was created from Phi Gamma Psi (local), a group that dated from 1928.
  25. ^ Now the Gamma Lambda chapter of ΑΓΔ, this had been ΘΣΥ's Tau chapter, dating to 1939, and originally Delta Theta Alpha (local), a group that dated from 1936. A note in an early edition of Baird's had them close in 1954, but if so, they were revived soon after, as the chapter participated in the merger with ΑΓΔ.
  26. ^ Now the Alpha Upsilon chapter of ΑΓΔ, this had been ΘΣΥ's Upsilon chapter, dating to 1941, and originally Zeta Chi Delta (local), a group that had formed earlier in 1941.
  27. ^ Now the Gamma Mu chapter of ΑΓΔ, this had been ΘΣΥ's Phi chapter, dating to 1942.
  28. ^ The Chi chapter was created from Pi Sigma Gamma (local), a group that dated from 1934.
  29. ^ Now the Alpha Tau chapter of ΑΓΔ, this had been ΘΣΥ's Psi chapter, dating to 1952.
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